Chandrakant Apte’s body being taken for cremation from his Sonari residence on wednesday. (Bhola Prasad)

Jamshedpur, June 1: Swar Ganga in Sonari went numb with silence as a doyen of Hindustani classical music breathed his last today.

Chandrakant Apte, one of the country’s most gifted vocalists, succumbed to prolonged illness at Tata Main Hospital this morning. He was 77.

The mentor of many a youngster from the city and elsewhere, Apte had suffered a stroke and slipped into coma on April 7. He was kept on life-support at the critical care unit and shifted to the neuro ward only yesterday. Doctors declared him dead at 5.30am.

His last rites were performed at Parvati Ghat in Bistupur in the evening.

The melody guru’s house on road No. 8 at Kagalnagar in Sonari is aptly known as Swar Ganga with disciples swamping the premises day in and day out to learn the finer nuances of classical music from their beloved Apte Sir.

Today, it was once again flooded, but with students and well-wishers who came to see him off on his last journey.

For everyone, it was a loss that could not be compensated. “It is one of the saddest days of my life. I had been visiting Apte Sir at hospital. He had shown signs of improvement and his ventilation had been removed, and we prayed for his recovery,” said Rajdeep Chatterjee, an Indian Idol 4 contestant who took lessons from Apte for 10 long years.

“He was my guru. People know me today because of him. Whatever I know of music is because of him,” the upcoming singer said.Shraddha Das, a participant of another talent hunt, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs, said, “I was his student since I was four years old. He was the best mentor and had students from across the country. There will be no one like him.”

Besides Rajdeep and Shraddha, Apte has coached many a rising star. Playback singer Shilpa Rao of Dev D fame had been among his blue-eyed disciples.

Among others who mourned Apte’s demise was Surekha Nerurkar, wife of Tata Steel MD H.M. Nerurkar.